


Echoes of Earth: io and europa

by FullSizeRender, SyntheticAngel



Series: Character One-Shots, Etc [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Friendship, Gossip, Outer Space, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, scifi, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullSizeRender/pseuds/FullSizeRender, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyntheticAngel/pseuds/SyntheticAngel
Summary: "Echoes of Earth" is meant to be a retrospective series of canon events that occur before "Other Worlds" begins.io and her coworker europa go to their favorite cafe and talk about life...and boys.
Series: Character One-Shots, Etc [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1810666
Kudos: 1





	Echoes of Earth: io and europa

_ 5:00 _

io had been watching the clock as if it might skip ahead suddenly if she looked away. Some days dragged on for eons, as if Isotech ran on a different schedule than the rest of the world. Not like the rest of her day wasn’t  _ also  _ filled with staring at numbers, but these ones were more important. She didn’t need to be double checking so closely how many bags of peanuts manufacturing was buying for their break room. As soon as the big hand reached its mark she jumped up from her chair and snatched her belongings.

“Thank god.” She scuttled to her coworker’s cubicle, brightening at her purple bob and trademark red glasses. Europa reminded her of a professional secretary in old cartoons: reliable, smart, and always the first person she went to with questions. She was one of the only people in the office she regularly talked to outside of work. “I don’t want to see another number for the rest of the day. You ready?”

“Absolutely. If I have to listen to Mikhail talk about how  _ fascinating _ numbers can be, I’m going to snap my pen in half.” With two clicks of her mouse she shut her computer down, then spun to face her friend. The smile on her face was weary, ready to be anywhere that wasn’t a musty conference room full of condescending executives. “You thinking the usual spot? I haven’t had a good sci-fi themed drink in a while. Plenty of bad ones, though.”

“Am I ever.” io sighed.

“You ladies have a good night, alright?” A man brushed past io in the hallway and she raised a routine hand back. 

“Night!” Her forced smile flew over her shoulder. She turned on a heel as soon as Europa joined her side. Isotech wasn’t the worst place to work at, not by a long shot, but that magical time at the end of her day meant food and getting back to what she  _ really  _ loved: daydreaming about outer space. This happened during work as well, but she loved it so much she was willing to do it unpaid.

The elevators at ground floor opened fluidly. After several pearly security doors and a long stretch of pretentious white marble, io and Europa descended down concrete stairs in the open city. Horizon I’s busy nightlife flooded the senses with highly manufactured stimuli, between ever-running magnetic monorails, flying digital advertisements, and smoke under the neon shop lights. The air here had electricity, the kind that permeated one’s lungs with both excitement and anxiety. io felt like she was constantly on the verge of...something, but couldn’t verbalize what. A hovering silver car absorbed the pair and taxied them west of downtown. Several types of machines zipped through the air, most of them delivery and security drones never managing to cross paths. They mesmerized io; she loved the cybernetic life of the city, even if she missed the sun setting on the ocean back home. Horizon I felt like a sci-fi dream of hers, though there were more surveillance drones in this version.

Their ride delivered them to a pretty little spot on the strip. Reds and blues reflected against io’s black heels, on the concrete she and Europa walked on. 

“The music was great, but I can’t believe we’re still getting movies about alien abductions in the year 2120. Oh and the dialogue was fucking  _ awful _ .” io grimaced, recounting her last film experience to her coworker. She held onto her bag strap with one hand, and the other ran an exasperated hand through her short blue hair. “Spare yourself the agony. Please tell me you’re making better choices than me though. Have you seen anything good lately?”

“Yeah, actually. So y’know that hot guy from the ‘Please Gently Touch My Hands in Space’ series? Lyden Moscuito? Well,” She adjusted her glasses with subtle excitement, then quickly moved to tuck a few stray purple strands behind her ear. The reflection of the neon signage obscured her eyes, but it couldn’t hide her smirk. “he’s ALSO in the spinoff series, ‘My Love, Like Stars, Is Unbearably Bright’. It just started last night and I’ve been  _ glued _ to my TV. I blew off Jessi so I wouldn’t miss it - you better not tell her.”

“I’m not going to tell her, I only barely talk to her because I  _ have _ to,” io forced that same tight smile again at the thought, but it melted into amusement pretty quickly. “Lyden is kinda...too perfect, he freaks me out? I’m running out of stuff to watch so I’ll try a few episodes, but if he says ‘I traveled all of space time to find you’ again with the puppy eyes like in Please Gently then I’m turning it off.”

Hover cycles shot past them on the street. The further into industrial Horizon I, the looser people got with street rules. io’s red gaze followed their light trails with a mixture of caution and admiration. 

“I would have to  _ really trust  _ whoever’s driving one of those to get on.” She said to the side. They turned a corner and passed several others parked outside of a night club. Some leaned against their bikes with helmets still on, a faceless look io definitely found herself drawn to.

“How’s your sister doing? Wasn’t she dating a guy who spent insane amounts of cash on his bike?”

“Oh,  _ Devin _ .” Europa’s tone shifted immediately, oozing with venom. “He’s...no longer around.”

Her silence was palpable and tense, her lips pursed with anger. She sharply exhaled, arms folded across her chest as she threw a silent tantrum. It wasn’t until she realized how dramatic she sounded that she huffed and slouched her shoulders.

“My bad, he’s still alive. I just hate him. He bankrupted Bri Bri getting parts for that damn hunk of junk, then left her when she asked to be paid back.” Europa dug into her purse to pull out a thin smartphone, the screen briefly flashing with several animated crying emojis before going dark as she dropped it back in. “She’s been inconsolable for the past few weeks. She’s staying with my mom and Derek so at least she’s not alone but...bleh.”

The distant echoes of aggressively revved hover cycles felt ominous when they occurred outside of Europa’s view, and the faceless cyclists they walked past were equally unnerving. The industrial zone of Horizon I was uncomfortable and dimly lit the further one got from the more populated fringes, making any nighttime trip a risky venture. Europa stiffened up every time they came out here, without fail.

“Speaking of absolutely hating someone you thought was your life partner...how’s Ares doing? You two doing alright?”

“Oh, he-” io stopped in front of a retro-styled lounge, the large front window showing off its patrons. They’d beaten the rush, and a cute boxy robot rolled up to them in record time to shuttle the pair to a booth along the wall. It was her favorite, because it was entirely run by vintage bots with illuminated circles for eyes and claw machine hands.

It placed two glasses of water on the table and reminded them that menus were built into the table’s digital interface, even after Europa confirmed that yes, they'd been there before. io giggled. Plenty of times, in fact. But the light in io’s eyes dimmed proportionally to their waiter bot rolling away.

“Ares uh...wants to meet my parents.” Her brows furrowed and she slid her glass of water closer. Her legs tucked closer together while she sipped. “But I'm against it for so many reasons. My parents don't like engineers. Anything or anybody having to do with machines, and big numbers or whatever.” She fidgeted, then released the most exasperated, dramatic sigh she’d ever mustered before laying her head down on her arms. “I don’t love him, Europa.”

“No shit.” Europa snorted, rolling her eyes. She casually tipped back her glass of water for a slow sip before she continued. “I’ve seen tons of relationships fall apart. Acceptance is a big step, io. Next is making a Meetr account and finding someone that isn’t doing weird sex things with their rocks. Or whatever he does.”

She took a moment to bring up the holographic menu and order two alcoholic drinks at random, which caused the waiter bot to turn on a dime and return to their table. As the two of them carried on their conversation the robot hummed softly, manufacturing the drinks in its chest compartment. It was a big advantage this cafe had over other restaurants in the area. A full staff of robots meant instant tableside service, and perfect drinks every time!

“In all seriousness though, just leave him. No one’s gonna be a good fit for your wacko family - sorry - but Horizon I is full of people that are good for  _ you _ .”

“I can’t,” io muttered, sinking into her seat with the new drink. She desperately wished for their waiter to come back, but she wouldn’t admit that to Europa. Listening to the humming was like her ear over someone’s chest, and she felt soothed by its rhythm. Even if she trusted her coworker more than anybody else in Horizon I...long-instilled fear tugged at her heart. “I like him, he gets me better than I think anyone else will. And if I’m being honest, the guy is set, like for life. My parents can shit on engineers all they want but he works on suits for  _ Isotech _ . I’m sure once they met him and saw his salary they’d feel horrible about telling me I couldn’t do that.”

She took several long drinks of whatever sweet alcohol Europa ordered to get the bitterness out of her voice.

“I can’t leave him.” She grimaced and pushed the half finished glass away. Something else tugged at her, the undying need to share things that the more defensive part of her tried to keep from the light of day. “He said he loves me, and I didn’t know what else to say back. I don’t think what I actually want...exists.” Her gaze flicked towards the waiter bots rolling to and from other tables. “As stupid and crazy as that sounds.”

“Doesn’t exist? C’mon, there’s someone out there for everyone, io. Sometimes it’s a man, sometimes it’s a woman...oh, there was that guy that married a hardlight projection of his smartphone assistant last year. Not sure how that works, but…y’know, plenty of fish in the sea and all that.” She threw back her neon purple cocktail before eying up io’s unfinished ‘Sci-Fi Surprise’. It probably would have been pretty good, but she knew she needed to stay at least somewhat coherent until the conversation was over. “Look, plenty of people have said they loved me but that doesn’t mean I’m stuck with them. Them falling for you doesn’t fix their problems.”

Europa’s purse chimed, and she pulled out the phone to find yet another broken text from her sister. With a few swipes she typed up a response, but rather than closing her screen she opened up her Meetr app and leaned back in her seat. She adjusted her glasses. The search bar was open, her thumb at the ready.

It was time to get to work.

“Tell me about your ideal guy, io. No judgements, just lay it all out on the table. Before we leave this table, I  _ will _ find someone that fits your impossible standards.”

“Oh  _ god. _ ” io threw back her drink, too. It burned on the way down after the burst of sweetness. She didn’t drink that often, because she didn’t trust herself enough to not act like a complete dumbass in good company. She covered her mouth to suppress the burp. “He’s hot  _ sometimes _ , like when he talks about cybernetics or what we’ll be able to do in space or whatever project Isotech has him figuring out,” she interrupted herself once she saw Europa start swiping through profiles. io rubbed the back of her neck.

“I- I don’t know, focused? Precise, taller and smarter than me, funny, fuckin….” she raised a half shrug, half hoping her coworker would think she's joking, “ _ entirely made of metal _ .”

Europa’s focused muttering echoed her friend’s descriptions as she furiously typed, not even bothering to hesitate when she threw in a sudden metal curveball. It was no way that someone wasn’t out there for her, right? It was impossible! There was someone out there for everyone, even the ones with strange taste.  Her brow crinkled and she pressed her tongue against her cheek, shaking her head.

“One result. A cosplayer over in east Aphelion wearing some...junk? Looks like one of those old ocean diver outfits, but with swords. A lot of swords. Might have a sword fetish.” She exhaled forcefully from her nose, sliding the phone toward io with the display up. “He seems a little weird even for you, but...unless you’re talking about an actual robot, you might be swimming in a shallow pool.”

io grabbed the phone with troubled curiosity. She shook her head too.

“I think you were closer to the mark with the guy who married his digital assistant.” She murmured in defeat. It was tough to talk about. She could barely bring herself to maintain eye contact, but the drink sure helped. Her chest felt warm. “The phone AI is cool but it doesn’t feel real.”

io had a wistful look on her face. 

“It’s weird to look around at all this insane tech I never knew existed back home, but they still haven’t made, I don't know, bipedal androids? We get drones and ugly security sentinels, and from what Ares tells me, space suits that will be like human upgrades, but no...” she trailed off, afraid to divulge too much after all. She slid Europa’s phone back, looking concerned as the notifications continued pinging. “I feel like it’s worse if I leave him for nobody, anyway. Hey, you sure you don’t need to go call Bri…? She seems really upset.”

“I’ve been calling and texting her every night since Devin skipped town, one night won’t kill her.” Europa doesn’t even glance down at her phone as she slipped it into her purse, leaning over the table with renewed interest. Her eyes were narrowed, a devious little smile on her lips. “Waiter! A little help, please?”

The retro robot sauntered over, arms outstretched before standing patiently and awaiting its next command.

“HELLO. WOULD YOU LIKE A REFILL ON YOUR DRINKS, PATRONS? WE WANT YOUR EXPERIENCE TO BE OUT OF THIS WORLD.”

“Hear that?  _ Out of this world _ , io.” Her eyebrows waggled with delight. “Do you...have a number? A partner? I have a friend that’s looking to experiment, if you catch my drift.”

“EXPERIMENT?” The robot’s head hummed as it processed Europa’s request, the glow of a little lightbulb on top of its head waxing and waning before returning to normal. “WE HAVE ADDED NEW APPETIZERS AND STELLAR FINGER FOODS THAT WILL SEND YOUR TASTE BUDS INTO ORBIT. [TOTAL NUMBER OF MENU UPDATES: SEVEN.] HAVE YOU TRIED OUR SOLAR FLARE JALAPENO POPPERS?”

io sunk into her seat cushion with eyes wide as the waiter bot’s, a violent blush on her cheeks. Her weak protests fell on deaf ears. 

“YES I’D LOVE A REFILL.” She said suddenly, a forced toothy grin plastered on her face as if it made any difference to a robot. It whirred for a second and io stared embarrassed daggers at Europa.

“YOUR SCI-FI SURPRISE.” It beeped and io took the glass without breaking eye contact.

“THANKS.” She smiled through her teeth and waited for the bot to leave. “OHmygod why, what are you doing?!” Her cheeks burned bright red. She’d never admit she wished Europa’s stunt worked, because that was the part she hated the most about all of this. She drank from her new glass, and quickly. “Holy shit. Don’t make this weird... -er than it already is. And I know it’s weird, because I've had several people including a licensed therapist say so.”

She downed the rest as if going for the gold medal, and slammed the empty glass back down. She looked like she regretted the decision immediately.

“That was more than I intended to say, but we’re friends and I know you won’t tell anyone.”

“Oh yeah, like I’d blab about this. Nah, I think the confirmation was enough for me.” Europa leaned back in her seat with a smug smile painted on her face - with love, of course. She crossed her legs, chuckling at the absurdity of the situation before finally ending it all with a sigh of content. Her cheeks felt warm, a sign that the alcohol was working its magic. It was enough to actually make her consider purchasing those jalapeno poppers, but she didn’t feel right bothering the poor robot again. It didn’t have feelings, sure, but it was the principle of the matter.

“Maybe your dream guy isn’t a guy. So what? Maybe you’ll be one of those late bloomers, figuring out who you are when you get older. You might even leave Ares when they finally make a robot that’ll tell you how cute you are without you telling it to.”

“Oh my god I  _ wish _ .” Blurry-eyed io moved her glass rim in circles on the table. “I’m not a late bloomer, I've known for a long time.” She admitted it without a second thought. Sober io would've been mortified. “I stole engineering magazines from a teacher in like sixth grade. I wanted a robot puppy and my first crush was the evil computer in that old space movie from a hundred years ago of what they thought the future would be like. Space Journal. Journey. Fuck. I want fries.”

She proceeded to wave down the waiter again, who took her order and notified her of a slight delay because business had begun to pick up. And wouldn’t she know it, a cursory glance confirmed the lounge  _ had _ gotten busier while they talked. A corner of her lips turned up.

“I only have sex with Ares when he starts talking about his projects and I don't think he’s noticed yet.” She divulged. “I haven’t told him about the robots thing either. What if he’s cool about it? Like you?”

“Er…” She chewed her bottom lip, fighting hard to keep from giving a kneejerk ‘fuck no!’ as a response. She hadn’t personally met Ares, but io hardly spoke too favorably of him. What difference did it make if he was cool about it if she wasn’t fulfilled in the relationship to begin with?

“Maybe’s it’s better we keep it between us, huh? Just until we can build you a better boyfriend.” The fries were placed down and Europa motioned for a refill on her cocktail as well, swiping a few of the salty treats as the waiter mixed up another drink. “I’d hate for there to be trouble in paradise for my two favorite little lovebirds, after all.”

“Eugh.” io cringed and had to let the bot know that  _ no, it’s not the fries, they’re really good!  _ She laughed but it was defeated. “You’re right.”

io munched on her fries and people-watched briefly. There were couples, friends like her and Europa, groups of young adults that all seemed so outwardly happy. Normal.

“You’re always right, dammit.” She teased, the saltiness extra tasty after two whole drinks. The silliness wore off quickly as her attitude shifted into thoughtful haziness. “Thanks for that. You’re a really great friend, you know? Better to not fuck things up…” she smiled, but it was bittersweet, “for everyone’s sake. If I have to be with someone anyway, might as well be him. I don’t know.”

The conversation came to a close in her head, as a woman wearing something looking like foil and Ethernet cables waltzed in. io sealed the deal when she nodded towards her.

“Please tell me you see the satellite dish that just came in. Do you think she can hear your thoughts?”

“For your sake, I hope she can’t.”


End file.
